An Erling Haaland goal secured a narrow 1-0 victory for Manchester City over Southampton, propelling them to the top of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s title hopes suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth at Villa Park.
After a three-match league goal drought, Haaland found the net in the fifth minute at the Etihad Stadium, converting a cross from Matheus Nunes with strength and determination. The goal marked Haaland’s 14th of the season in all competitions, allowing Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten side to move two points clear of second-placed Liverpool, who have the chance to reclaim the top spot with a win against Arsenal on Sunday.
City have not lost a league game at home in two years, maintaining an impressive run of 35 matches. Southampton, languishing at the bottom of the table with just one point from nine games, struggled to pose a significant threat throughout the match.
Aston Villa’s aspirations for the title took a hit as they let a late lead slip away against Bournemouth. After Leon Bailey set up Ross Barkley for his first goal for the club in the 76th minute, it looked like Villa would secure the victory. However, Evanilson struck a header in the sixth minute of stoppage time to earn Bournemouth a point.
Meanwhile, in a high-scoring affair, Brentford edged out Ipswich 4-3 in a thrilling encounter in west London. Ipswich took an early lead through Sam Szmodics, but Brentford fought back, with Yoane Wissa equalising just before halftime. Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty gave Brentford a 3-2 advantage, but Liam Delap’s late goal for Ipswich set up a dramatic finish. However, Mbeumo clinched the win with a last-gasp strike.
Second-bottom Wolves managed a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 against fifth-placed Brighton. After Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson put Brighton in control, Wolves responded with goals from Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, salvaging a point deep into stoppage time.
In another clash, Everton’s Beto salvaged a 1-1 draw against Fulham with a stoppage-time header, cancelling out Alex Iwobi’s earlier strike. Despite being unbeaten in six matches, Everton sits precariously just above the relegation zone.